Introduction to #Site19

#Site19 is the general chat channel for the SCP Foundation. It's a great place to talk about SCPs, get advice about your article, and socialize with members of the site from around the world, from longtime veterans to other new members. And it's a great place to engage in general shenanigans.

Chat is open to anyone. You don't have to be a site member to join.

To join our chat, you also must have read and understood our rules and guidelines. To find these, go to the tab titled, "Guidelines".

Registering

We highly recommend that you register your nickname upon joining chat. For those unfamiliar with registering a nick, here's how to do it:

Type the following: /msg NickServ register [password] [email]

Substitute the stuff in brackets with your desired password and email. (And remember to not leave in the brackets!) Once this is done, you should get a confirmation email. Follow the directions in the email. Once that's all taken care of, to identify, you simply type "/msg nickserv identify [password]" without the quotes. Alternatively, "/ns identify [password]" works as well on some clients. (Again, no brackets.)

Congratulations, you have now registered and identified and can join the channel. Some chat clients can ID automatically once you've registered. It is highly recommended that if you don't ID automatically, you don't type out the command in a public channel. If you screw up and, say, forget the / or type a space in front of it, you just announced your password to everyone. In addition, you'll want to type "/ns set secure on" once you get in the channel, so nobody else can use your nick when you aren't around.

Please note that sometimes (for instance, when dealing with trolls), we put +R on the chat. This means only people with registered nicks join. Making sure your nick is registered means you won't be left out in the cold if that happens!

Chat Guidelines

Mission Statement

The SCP IRC Chat is an online medium for mature, polite, and intelligent discussion of the SCP Wiki. To that end, these following guidelines are established as a basis for what kind of behavior is expected.

Guidelines

Age: No users under age 15 are permitted in chat. As with the SCP Foundation wiki, our chatrooms may contain content inappropriate for those under the age of 15. If you're under 15, do not join.

Topics: No illegal activity is permitted, period. Discussion about SCP ideas and drafts take priority. Any NSFW (Not Safe For Work) links must be tagged as NSFW.

Ops: Channel operators (ops) and their orders are to be obeyed at all times (so long as they are acting in their capacity as operator).

Behavior: All participants are expected to be mature and respectful. Harassment, creepiness, and offensive or disruptive behaviors are not tolerated and will be subject to disciplinary action. For more on this, see the next tab, "Chat Culture & Behavior."

Reporting: If you need a chat operator, you can often get our attention by saying "ops" or saying a specific op's name while in #Site19. Or you can send an operator a private message.

In particular, please feel free to report if someone is harassing you or being a creeper, even if they are doing so in private messages.

Disciplinary Action / Banning

Channel operators (ops) have the authority to dictate the course of conversation. Operator orders are to be followed at all times.

Operators have the authority to enact disciplinary action, if they deem it necessary. The normal process for punishing offenders breaks down like this:

First infraction: Warning. This may be delivered in the form of a non-ban kick, via a muted chatroom, a short (generally 1 hour) temporary ban, or simply being told to stop or further disciplinary action will follow.

Second infraction: Short ban (Minimum 24 hours).

Third infraction: Long ban (Usually 1 week).

Further infractions: Permanent (indefinite) ban.

Ops have the authority to escalate any specific incident as they deem fit, especially for grossly inappropriate or recurrent offenses.

Respect chat operator decisions, even if you disagree with them. If you feel that any instance of disciplinary action was in error, you may protest the action in the Help Channel, #Site17 (linked above), or you may privately message any chat operator.

The final authority in the chatroom is the Chat Owner, currently thedeadlymoose. Please report any serious misuses of authority to them.

Chat Behavior & Culture

It is the responsibility of each chat participant to know what is or is not acceptable behavior; if you are not sure whether any particular action or topic of discussion is appropriate for SCP IRC, it is your responsibility to ask the ops.

Not all inappropriate behavior is specifically covered here. When in doubt, apply Wheaton's Law: "Don't be a dick." Phrased differently: Don't be that much of an asshole, and don't be disruptive.

Specific Inappropriate Behavior

In this section, we go into detail about some specific behaviors which will almost always result in disciplinary action. This isn't intended to be exhaustive.

Also — don't take this section as accusatory. This whole thing may sound intimidating, especially since it's addressed at "YOU", but it's written that way because we're internet amateur writers and it was easier to write that way. If you're a cool person who is relatively mature (which describes most of you), then you'll almost certainly be fine.

That said, on to the List of Wrongdoings.

Harassment. Bothering others. This includes:

Sexual harassment (asking for pictures, pressuring others to discuss their sex lives, etc.; this usually leads to an instant permanent ban).

Talking to a user who has asked you to stop talking to them.

Deliberately making others uncomfortable.

Targeting people based on their gender, sexuality, etc.

Offsite Harassment/Brigades. Do not use #Site19 as a base for harassing or bothering people on other sites. Don't encourage others to do so either.

Creepiness. This a form of making others uncomfortable that generally amounts to "behaving in a manner that would be extremely socially inappropriate if done in public."

If you believe you may have difficulty with being unintentionally creepy for any reason, please observe chat to see what is or isn't considered appropriate, or ask an operator about the appropriateness of comments you might make.

Almost anything involving rape is likely to fall under creepiness or be otherwise inappropriate (such as rape jokes).

Trolling: Behaving in a way that is deliberately inflammatory in order to elicit emotional responses. If you're doing it, you know you're doing it. If we're accusing you of it and you're not doing it, you need to rethink your behavior.

Backseat Moderation: This means telling others what to do in an authoritative manner when you yourself do not have the authority to do so. It will not endear you to anybody, and it can confuse other users to see non-ops giving orders and directing conversation. You may bring an issue to the operators' attention, and you may point out rules violations to other users, but don't start doing operators' jobs for them.

Additionally, if an OP is carrying out disciplinary actions, that is not the time to make sarcastic comments or attack the user.

Roleplaying. SCPs are not real, the Foundation is not real, and pretending they are will not endear you to the locals. #Site19 is out-of-character only. Users can direct you to other chatrooms for roleplaying environments. Or you can just try the #SCProleplay room.

Spamming. Don't do it.

Not Tagging NSFW Links: This gets its own section.

Please note that having a mental disorder, or being non-neurotypical (autism, ADHD, etc), is not an excuse for creepy or disruptive behavior. If you're having trouble, please talk to chat operators.

NSFW (Not Safe For Work) Links

Images and other links that are not safe for workplace environments or for specific subsets of users must be tagged appropriately. Failing to tag an image will lead to disciplinary action.

Specific types of images that must be tagged are as follows:

Porn, nudity, and other sexual images. Tag "NSFW".

Extreme violence and gore. Tag "NSFW".

Jump scares, screamers, flashing lights. For these, you must identify what they are when you link them. Deliberately trying to surprise someone with a jump scare/screamer will almost always result in a lengthy or permanent ban. This is because we have members with epilepsy, and this can trigger seizures. Save the jokes for the people you personally know, please.

Culture

Harshness: Please note that being harsh is an accepted part of our community culture. It doesn't necessarily make a person an asshole if they're being harsh, especially with critique.

Critique:

Critique from all members is welcome. That said, if you are a new member, please defer to the critique of experienced users. Repeatedly giving poor or inaccurate critique is not welcome.

You're not obligated to listen to the critique you get, but: Continual refusal to accept feedback on your writing is not going to go over well.

Xenophobia: Try to avoid dumping on other sites with SCP fans for no reason, or claiming that fans from X offsite fanbase are inferior as a group.

Gossip: It's considered rude to talk badly about people behind their backs. If they're current members of the site, it's more polite to wait til they're actually around to respond to criticism. You can mention complaints about users who are not around, but be polite and do so in moderation.

Being Annoying: If people tell you you're being annoying, listen. And try to improve, if reasonable. Being annoying isn't against the rules, but you can still be banned for it if it gets bad enough. Try to up-front avoid generally annoying behaviors, such as:

fixating on certain SCPs when other members are clearly sick of hearing about it

Being Mature: Essentially, this is a subset of being annoying, but it bears clarification since it's a rule we use. If you act indistinguishably from an underaged user, we may ban you for that reason alone. You need to act mature.

Site Password: We have a secret password that you need to join the site. To find this, you have to read the Guide for Newbies. You can tell people this if you like. But if you tell them what that password currently is, you will be kicked or banned.

Chatbot Etiquette

Do Not Abuse Or Over-Use The Bot. The Bot Is Being Worked On.

The current bot is Alexandra. Alexandra is maintained by Pixeltasim (working with Crayne and the rest of the technical team) and is currently our primary bot.

When in #site19, you may use Alexandra as a reference and general tool for a variety of purposes. Some commands can be found at this post.

Do not bring any of your own bots into this chat without permission
If you want to bring in a bot, ask permission from chat operators first. Make sure the Chat Owner approves.

Presently the only chatbot approved to be in #Site19 alongside Alexandra is Lumberjack, a bot that logs conversation. Former chatbots included: Magic-8_Ball, Grapewhistle, Hatbot, and Nala (RIP).

Do not invite the bot into your own channel
Alexandra has limited resources dedicated to #Site19, and Pixeltasim and Crayne will know if you do. It's good courtesy not to invite her without permission.

Chat Operators (OPs)

Chat OPs are the people we trust to run the channel and keep order. They have the following powers:

Redirecting. This essentially means ending a discussion or calling for a change of topic, or telling one user or group of users to shut up. If an OP tells you to drop a subject, drop it immediately: don't get in the last word, don't say one more thing, just stop and move on.

Kicking. This just removes you from the chat until you rejoin. If you're kicked, feel free to re-enter unless told otherwise. However, if you were kicked, it's for a reason, so pay attention to the reason.

Banning. Prevents the user from speaking or joining the chat; often accompanied by a kick. Usually preceded by a warning (except for egregious offenses), bans can be temporary, usually 24 hours, or permanent. If you get permabanned, wait a year or so, and if you can show that you've improved, you might be let back in.

If you see someone kicked and banned for something that isn't banworthy, and then unbanned shortly afterwards, that's just to stop people's autojoin from activating. Don't sweat it.

Setting Channel Modes. The only one of these you really have to worry about is +m, which prevents anyone who doesn't have OP or Voice from talking. If an OP sets the channel to +m to talk, listen up, and don't change your name to comment on the situation.

If you think a chat OP is abusing their power, tell someone. Start with a different OP first. The final authority in the chat is thedeadlymoose, the Chat Owner: report any serious misuses of authority to him.

While there is quite a bit of overlap between wiki staff and chat staff, they are not one and the same: we (usually, though not currently) have several Chat OPs who are not Wiki Staff and should not be treated as such. Likewise, not all staff on the wiki have power in chat, and should not be expected to wield any.

Secondary Chatrooms

The following chatrooms are associated with the SCP Foundation Wiki and #site19. These channels are not under #site19 rules, except where noted. Typically, they have their own rules and are run by individual community members. Consult with one of their OPs if you have any questions.

Help & Questions:

#Site17 is an official chatroom for chatting with the staff of the SCP Foundation. Ask us questions, bring up issues. Keep excess general chitchat in #site19; rules are otherwise the same as #site19. We are much more likely to be lenient if you're new. Owned by Foundation admins and run by all Foundation staff (including mods, senior staff, & 19 chat ops). May be joined easily from http://05command.wikidot.com/chat.

You may appeal bans or other operator actions, or make complaints, in #site17.

Please note: If you're not staff, don't interfere with conversations in which staff are responding to member questions, especially if it's disciplinary.
Additionally, if you're not staff, please don't answer newbie inquiries yourself, even if you are sure that no staff are online. Either get staff's attention, or politely let them know to wait or come back later.

New: Critique is now allowed in #site17! You can also take critique from 19 to 17 if general chat is getting to be too much.

Roleplaying:

#origins-ooc - Origins' out-of-character chat. Currently run by Roget and his GM team. Origins is a roleplay based on the early days of the Foundation and how the Foundation grew into what it is today. The game takes places at Site-19, with characters going on missions to retrieve, destroy, or otherwise interact with SCP objects.

#farreconooc - Far Recon's out-of-character chat. Currently run by TheRaven and his GM team. You can access the out-of-character chatroom here. Far Recon is a roleplay based on SCP-354 and the personnel who work there. The game takes places at Area-354, with characters going on missions into the pool.

#SCProleplay - The official SCP general RP chat. A perfect place for shenanigans and SCP-based roleplaying fun. Chat rules are here. Channel owned by thedeadlymoose.

Extracurricular:

#ethicscommittee - A channel for discussion of sensitive topics. A semi-safe space. Social justice issues welcome. Owned by thedeadlymoose.

#neutralzone - Debate and discussion. Welcome to all SCP community goers and/or enthusiasts. Owned by Eskobar. Rules available here.

SCP MineCraft - A project for multiplayer minecraft run by TheRaven, Roget, and Snowshoe.

#WanderersLibrary - The official chat for the Wanderer's Library, listed here due to the connection to this site. Owned by DrMann; staffed by Library staff.

If you would like a chatroom to be added to this list, please contact chat operators and we will decide whether to approve its addition. Please note that any chatroom added here must either be run partly or completely by Foundation staff or already be established in the community.

If, after reading this guide, you have more questions, please feel free to ask chat operators for assistance.

A note of caution: SCP-173 is a secondary use of the image of Kato's "Untitled 2004". The concept of SCP-173 does not have any relationship with the artist's original concept of "Untitled 2004".

The sculpture, its likeness, and the photograph have not been released under any Creative Commons license. Only the text of this article is released under Creative Commons. This sculpture and its likeness may not be used for commercial purposes under any circumstances. Izumi Kato has graciously chosen to allow the use of the image of "Untitled 2004" by the SCP Foundation and its fanbase for non-commercial purposes only.